Weak Baby

I found pasty butt today on only one chick. She's a Barred Rock and smaller then everyone else (I have 14 Orpingtons and 15 Barred Rocks that are about 9 days old). I cleaned her butt and she pooped. The poop had shavings. Now, I waited 5 days before adding shavings but I guess she didn't get the memo that the shavings aren't food.

I am setting up a special place for her but right now she is in my other hand being snuggled while I type until her feathers and fuzz dry. I tried offering her molasses water, starter and regular water but she didn't want anything. I tried giving her a little molasses water to pep her up via a syringe in the corner of her beak. She gulped at each drop so I hope it works and I didn't just add to her woes.

Take a little starter, add water and make a runny mash and put a little on her beak. When the liquidy mash hits her beak, she should hold her head up and swallow some. Do that every hour or so with freshly made mash. That way she will get food and liquids at the same time.

Put a little Vaseline or Neosporin on her vent for her comfort and to make cleaning easier. Veggie oil or mineral oil would also help if you don't have one of the first two.

If you can get water, and a little food, into her, you're doing about all you can do. If she gets stronger, you could try liquid vitamins and a little yogurt, and some ACV in the water. But mostly she needs water and a little chick starter.

She's gone. Never got her to eat. I even got her beak open but her swallow reflex was too weak and I was afraid to get it into her lungs. Those shavings must have really done something terrible to her insides.

For any future baby chicks, I remember a friend of mine raised baby wild birds that were picked up by animal control. She had a technique where she would use a syringe to deposit mash directly into their crops. Does anyone know how to do that? Might have saved this chick if I could've gotten one or two good feedings into her.

The rest of the chicks are much bigger and thriving. All other butts are clean. So far.